'I’m very sure that he would be part of the 2023 World Cup' - Dinesh Karthik certain of Mohammed Siraj's place in ODI team

Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has showered praise on his RCB teammate Mohammed Siraj, who recently became the no.1 ODI bowler in the world after an impressive 2022 with the ball for India. Dinesh Karthik reckoned the Indian pacer will undoubtedly be a part of the upcoming 50-over World Cup later this year.

Mohammed Siraj has improved tremendously with the ball at the biggest level and was rewarded for his performances with a long run in the national side, especially in the 50-over format last year. Dinesh Karthik feels that an underwhelming IPL 2022 ignited a fire in Siraj's belly, who has proved himself in the international arena with consistent performances.

Apart from his skill with the ball, Siraj's intensity and hunger to do well for the side are two of the main reasons behind his success. Karthik stated that if the Hyderabad-born pacer can maintain his fitness he can go on to become one of India's best fast bowlers in red-ball cricket, and he sees him taking 300 wickets in the longest format of the game.

“I’m very sure that he would be part of the 2023 World Cup team. He deserves that spot, he has done really well. The 2022 IPL taught him a lot of things about handling failures, and that has kept him in good stead. I see him as one of those — let’s just say he doesn’t get injuries — at least a 300-wicket Test bowler,” said Karthik on Cricbuzz’s ‘Rise of New India’.

His strongest in Test cricket, one-dayers will come after that. T20s is where he is still learning: Karthik

Even though Siraj is the top-ranked bowler in the ODI circuit, Karthik reckons the young pacer has still got a lot to learn in the shorter formats of the game. The veteran cricketer feels that his RCB teammate is more accustomed to the longest format of the game and will grow in the other formats with time.

“He definitely has the aptitude for that, he has the skill set for that. It’s only a matter of whether he can stay fit for that long. He has shown so far that he’s very reliable. His strongest in Test cricket, one-dayers will come after that. T20s is where he is still learning,” said Karthik further.

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